A Hot Spring Of Love
by Keeneye214
Summary: Cless is struggling to finish funding a new works project. The town wants to have a hot spring built to enjoy when winter arrives. After finding a lonely Sable on the beach late at night, Mayor Cless receives some comforting words from her. Little does he know that his life within Airithan is about to change forever. A M. Villager/Sable story
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: A Moonlit Talk 

The mayor looked at his wristwatch and sighed. 2:25 in the morning. It had been at least 4 hours since Cless had sent Isabelle, his secretary, home for the night. Even after two years of being mayor of this town, it still astounded Cless the amount of dedication that his secretary showed to both him and his town. Airithan had grown quite a lot since he first took over the position as mayor, and that was what Cless was working on in the wee hours of the morning. Coming up with ideas to fund a new works project. Recently Whitney had come to him with the idea of having a hot spring built. Ideally it would give the villagers another way to spend time together while keeping warm in the cold winter when it came. Both Cless and the residents of Airithan loved the idea when it was presented at the last town hall meeting. It was a pricy project though. 98,000 bells including materials and labor. The residents had dug deep to help fund it as best as they could, but even with all the help Cless was still 10,000 bells short of the goal. 

Cless stood up, stretched, and yawned. This would have to wait until he had gotten a few hours of sleep and could focus again. He took a quick look around the office, turned off the lights and walked out. Outside it was still too hot for Cless' liking. Even at 3 A.M. it was still over 90 degrees outside. He hated this time of year. Cless would be happy when autumn came around and the weather cooled off. He began the twenty minute walk to his house. Despite the heat, it was a beautiful night. Not a cloud in the sky; the stars and bright full moon lit up everything. The flowers seemed to glow in the brilliant moon light. Fireflies flitted around adding even more light to the night. A lone frog let out a croak from somewhere near one of the many pear trees.

Cless' house overlooked the large beach. He loved it. He could sit out front and watch as the villagers swam, or fished, or just enjoyed a walk in the sand. He looked down at the dark beach and saw something odd. The beach was not empty tonight. It was dark, but Cless could immediately tell who it was. He walked down to the long stretch of beach, hoping that nothing was wrong.

"Sable," Cless said as he walked up behind her.

Sable visibly flinched and turned around. She had obviously been lost in a deep thought. "Oh, mayor…I…I didn't hear you walk up."

Cless sat down next to her and Sable turned around to continue looking out to sea. "Is everything alright?" He asked her.

She looked back at him, "What? Oh, yes…yes, everything is fine." The way that she said it was not convincing. "I just did not feel like being home."

Cless could understand that. Sable lived in a small house with her two sisters. It had to feel cramped at times. He was on the verge of offering her one of his spare rooms for the night when Sable spoke first. "You are out very late mayor," She stated.

A smile formed at the corner of Cless' mouth. "I could say the same of you," He laughed and stifled a yawn. "And please Sable, just call me Cless. We have known each other for two years not after all."

Sable smiled for the first time since the morning before. "So we have Cless; and I must say what a wonderful two years that it has been." She took a deep breath; breathing in the warm, salty sea air. "This town has never flourished like this before. I mean don't get me wrong, Tortimer was a great mayor for many years; but you Cless, are what Airithan needs."

Cless looked down and felt his face blush red. "Sa…Sable…I'm speechless. Thank you."

Sable just smiled again. "I see the hard work that you do and the long hours that you put in." She took another deep breath, "You don't hear it enough, but I am sure that I can speak for everyone when I say how happy we all are." She yawned and looked at Cless, "I should get home."

Cless stood and offered Sable his hand. She took it and pulled herself up. "May I walk you home?" he asked. Sable only lived a few houses away from him, so it was not out of the way, and even if it was Cless did not care.

Cless went to release her hand, but Sable held fast to his. "Of course," she said, blushing ever so slightly. She pulled him towards the beach exit, still holding on to his hand.

They walked in silence towards Sable's house, just enjoying the night. Too soon for Sable's liking, they arrived at her front door. She let go of his hand, but her fingers kept brushing up against his. She turned and looked into his eyes, "Thank you," was all that she said.

"No, Sable, thank you," Cless responded. "You took my bad day and made it end on a great note. The things that you said, well they really made my night."

Sable smiled before quietly opening her door. "Goodnight," she whispered, walking inside, closing the door.

Cless made the short walk back to his house. It was almost 5 A.M. now. The sun would be up in just a few short hours. As he crawled into bed, his mind was completely at peace for the first time in days.

Sable: Ohhh, I think I like where this is going.

Cless: *Blushes* Sable! Keeneye! Can't you do something about her?

Keeneye: Hey, don't blame me. Sable wanted this

Sable: THANK YOU!


	2. A Donation and Date

Chapter 2: A Donation and Date 

Sable never did go to bed when she went inside. She was tired, yes, but wanted to do something else. She would regret not sleeping when it came time to open the shop later, but this had to be done. Reaching under her bed, Sable pulled out a nice sized metal lock box. Opening it up, she looked inside. It was her rainy day fund. A little over 500,000 bells. She counted out 15,000 and put it into a small coin purse. She sat at her desk and pulled out a piece of her best stationary; she had a letter to write.

Cless awoke to the sound of his doorbell ringing. He looked at the bedside clock and saw that it was 8 A.M. The doorbell rang again. Cless rolled out of bed and stumbled his way downstairs. He was still in his clothes from yesterday. The bell rang a third time as he reached the bottom of the stairs. It had to be Isabelle; no one else rang the bell like that. "Coming," he shouted.

He opened the door and sure enough there she was. Bright eyed and bushy tailed, Isabelle walked in. Cless yawned by way of greeting her. She laughed and said, "Good morning to you too Mayor."

Cless just yawned again. He was dreading going to the town hall this morning. "What do I have on the schedule this morning?" He asked.

Ever prepared, Isabelle pulled out a pocket day planner from her coat pocket and flipped it open. She looked through it for a moment before snapping it closed. "You are wide open until the afternoon," she said. "But you do have a package waiting for you at town hall. It looks like someone dropped it off before I got there. I naturally placed it on your desk." She said all of this very fast.

Cless yawned and said, "Thank you. Let me shower and change, and we will go." He started back upstairs before saying, "Help yourself to anything in the kitched."

Back upstairs Cless grabbed his clothes for the day; a simple polo shirt with a vest and slacks. He never dressed too dressy unless it was a very important meeting, but he still wanted to show that he took his post seriously. He walked to the bathroom and showered and dressed quickly.

Once back downstairs he found Isabelle dancing around the living room to a K.K. Slider album that she had put on. An empty glass of juice sat on the coffee table. He smiled and picked up the glass; she could be so adorable at times. Isabelle kept dancing as Cless cleaned the glass. He walked over to her, took her hand, spun and dipped her. She laughed and turned the music off. "You look refreshed and ready to go," she said.

"Mmm, still tired. I was out late, but let's get this day going," Cless replied. They headed outside and Cless shielded his eyes from the morning sun. A few early morning animals were out and about already; running to and fro trying to get errands done early. Probably hoping that they could enjoy an afternoon at the beach or shopping. The only time Cless seemed to have any time off anymore was on holidays. Maybe he would just take off one day soon and make a trip to the island for a day trip.

As he was walking towards the town hall he saw Whitney and Mira whispering in an excited fashion under a blooming peach tree. They both had to-go cups of coffee and bags from the Able Sisters in their hands. They saw Cless as he was passing, and waved to him. Mira let out a girlish giggle. Cless just waved back. "Good morning ladies," he said. Mira giggled again and Cless just shook his head. "What's with them?" he asked Isabelle.

Isabelle smiled and said, "Oh, you know how the rumor mill goes. Only this time it is about you Cless." Isabelle couldn't help herself, she giggled. "Mira swears that she saw you walking home from the Able sisters house in the very early hours this morning."

Cless shook his head and groaned, "Is that all people have to talk about anymore?" They had arrived at town hall he walked in. There it was; as Isabelle had said, a plain brown cardboard box on his desk.

"So, is it true?" Isabelle asked. She seemed way too excited about this latest rumor.

Cless just sighed and looked at the package. There was nothing written on it. "I suppose that it is," he said. Isabelle made an excited squeal. He was cutting the tape that held the box closed. "I saw her sitting alone on the beach, we talked, and I walked her home."

Isabelle frowned, "Oh, is that all?" She seemed greatly disappointed.

Cless nodded, "Yes, Isabelle, that is all." He opened the box and peered inside. A coin purse sat inside with a letter next to it. He pulled out the purse; it was heavy. He opened it up and gasped out loud. It was full of bells. Way more than enough to finish funding the hot spring. He sat it down and picked up the letter just as Isabelle came running over.

"What is it Mayor?" She asked, and Cless just pointed to the open purse. She looked down and squealed. "Oh this is wonderful! We can pay off the hot spring! I cannot wait to enjoy a nice soak when the weather cools off!" She jumped up and down; Cless had never seen her this excited. "But who sent it?" She wondered out loud. Cless held up the letter and opened it, reading it silently to himself. It was written in elegant script on beautiful green stationary.

 ** _My dear Cless,_**

 ** _I want to thank you for walking me home this morning, and for keeping me company on the beach. I was also happy that I was able to help you feel better. I could tell that you have been very stressed lately. Take this money as my donation to the hot spring and use it to finish paying for it. I know that the whole town, myself included, will love it when the cold weather arrives. You probably slept in this morning, but I would love if maybe the two of us could go to The Roost for a cup of coffee. I will be at the shop, come by and we can walk together._**

 ** _S._**

Cless sat down and read the letter again, and then read it twice more before folding it and putting it in his pocket. "Oh Sable," he whispered. Cless always knew that she was good, but this was just too much.

Isabelle tapped him on his shoulder and when he turned around she was smiling the biggest smile that he had ever seen. She had obviously read the letter over his shoulder. Great, as if the rumors were not bad enough as it was. He knew that Isabelle was a little gossip. "Well," she said, "you better get going! And just let me know if you want me to cancel your afternoon appointments. Have fun!" And with that, she practically pushed him out of the door.

Cless walked into the clothing shop at half past 9. Mable and Labelle were talking in an excited whisper about the new fall clothing line coming soon. Labelle smiled and waved him over. He walked across the shop and joined the two sisters. It was Mable that spoke first. "Cless! Sable is in the back working on something. She honestly was not expecting you for hours." Labelle stood next to her nodding.

Cless laughed and leaned against the wall. "Well, Isabelle was kind enough to assault my doorbell at 8 A.M.," he said shaking his head. "And then, it would seem that Mira is trying to be the gossip queen of the town now."

Labelle was laughing now, "Yeah, her and Whitney were here earlier asking questions, like it was some huge deal that you walked with Sable last night."

Cless nodded and walked back over to the sisters. "It was so sweet of Sable to make that donation. I don't even know how to thank her enough." He sighed, "She really helped me out of a tight spot. And the things that she told me last night, she really made me feel better." Cless was letting it all out now.

Mable hugged him and spoke again. "She likes you sweetie, and has for a long time now." She smiled and went on, "Sable never forgot how you stopped in everyday when you first arrived; even if you had nothing to buy, you still came in just to talk to her. I never forgot that either, and even after two years, you still do it."

Labelle looked at him now and smiled, "Just show her a good time. Sable does not get out much. I'll go get her." Cless nodded and she walked off.

A few minutes later Labelle came back with Sable in tow. She smiled as soon as she saw him. Cless walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you so much. Seriously, I do not know how I can ever repay you."

Sable smiled, "Think nothing of it." She took him by the hand, "Come, let us go have coffee."

"Have fun you two!" Labelle and Mable called in unison and laughed. Sable just shushed them.

Cless' heart was pounding as they walked down Main Street hand in hand. He was not thinking of this as a date until just a few minutes ago; although he did like the idea of a date with Sable. She was kind, sweet, caring, and compassionate. Sable gave his hand a little squeeze and said, "I was not expecting you until this afternoon," she smiled.

Cless laughed and proceeded to retell the story of the great 8 A.M. doorbell assault by Isabelle. Sable found it highly amusing. "That is so like her," she said. "Even on Saturday she does not think that anyone should be allowed to sleep in."

They were off of Main Street now and Cless turned to look at her. "She also read your letter over my shoulder."

Sable blushed, "I kind of figured that she would. I suppose that is one reason that I did not use the word date in it." She laughed and went on, "Well, everyone will know by the time that we drink half of a coffee." She felt Cless squeeze her hand. "Let them talk though. Some of them are probably just jealous that it is me going out with you and not them." This made Cless blush and Sable laughed.

The arrived at The Roost and Cless held the door open for her. Sable smiled and led him over to a table for two. Cless pulled out her chair and she sat. He sat across from her and put his hand on hers. His heart was still pounding. Brewster came over a couple of minutes later to take their order.

"Blue Mountain black," she said. Cless smiled and ordered the same. He liked the taste of coffee straight. Brewster left to go make their coffee and Sable leaned forward to speak. "I have wanted to go out with you for some time now," she said quietly. "I suppose that I just never had the nerve to ask you."

"You never have to be nervous to ask me anything. I mean, if I were not so blind, I would have asked you ages ago," Cless said this very fast. He was still nervous and hoped that Sable did not notice.

Brewster walked back a minute later with two cups of piping hot coffee and sat them down. At that very moment the door opened and Whitney walked in. She was alone, but Cless felt sure that the moment they left she would be rushing off to find Mira to tell her everything. He squeezed Sable's hand and nodded his head towards the bar where Whitney had seated herself. Sable looked over and made eye contact with Whitney. "I swear, her and Mira both have nothing better to do than try to figure out who is seeing whom," she laughed and took a sip of her coffee. "I mean come on, get a hobby."

Cless sipped his coffee and smiled, "I think that is their hobby," he said. "The need a new one though." The spent the next hour sipping coffee and making small talk. Sable wanted to know all about his life prior to coming to Airithan. He told her all about his life in the big city. His years working in various shops, and traveling around. "So in the end I decided that I was just ready to settle down in a small town. I had grown tired of the city," he finished.

Sable smiled when he was finished talking. "Wow," she said, "I would have loved to have been able to do that. Maybe not the city living as I have never been much of a city girl, but the traveling sounds wonderful."

The sound of a cough came from the bar. Cless glanced over and then looked back at Sable. "Would you tell me your story?" He asked.

Sable smiled sadly. "That is a story for next time sweetie," she smiled. "There will be a next time right?" She asked shyly.

Cless squeezed her hand and stood up, "Of course there will be a next time." He looked straight into her eyes. "I had a wonderful time."

She stood up and blushed. "I did too," she said. Sable reached up and stroked the side of his face. She closed her eyes and leaned in, pressing her lips against his. It was not a long kiss, but it felt amazing. They broke apart after a moment, and Sable was blushing bright red. "Wow," she said.

"Wow," Cless agreed. Sable took him by the hand and led them past Mira who stared as they passed with her mouth hanging slightly open.

Sable decided to take the rest of the day off of work, so Cless walked her back to her house. At the front door Cless leaned in and kissed her. It felt just as amazing as it did back at The Roost. Sable wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close. "Thank you," she whispered. "You are wonderful." She walked inside and closed the door. Falling on the sofa, Sable closed her eyes and just tried to commit everything from this entire day to memory. She never wanted to forget this feeling. "Wow," she whispered.


	3. Island Lunch and Sable's Story

Chapter 3: Island Lunch and Sable's Story

Sable sat at her sewing machine in the Able Sisters boutique, it had been 10 days since Cless and she had that wonderful date at The Roost. He had been busier than usual since then. He of course still managed to come by the shop every day to see her. Construction had begun on the hot spring. Naturally he had picked the perfect spot for its location. It would be overlooking the beach which would be perfect, especially at night. She could just picture it now. Cless and her alone in the hot spring late at night after a hard day's work. Overlooking the beach, with the only sounds being the rolling of the waves washing up over the sandy beach. The stars and moon above in the clear night sky. Maybe a glass of wine. It would be the most romantic thing ever.

The bell over the door jingled to signal that someone had walked in. Sable looked up and smiled. It was Cless, he must be done work for the day. She stood up and ran over to him, throwing herself into his arms. He scooped her up and kissed her passionately. Mable who was straightening up some clothes looked up and smiled. It was time to close up and Cless had come to walk her home. He set her down, but kept ahold of her hand. "Hi sweetie," he said. "How was your day?"

She looked over at Mable and said, "The usual you know. Not much in sales, and I am still working on the new line of fall clothes." She led him over to the sewing machine to show off the finished dress. It was a pale green color with a dark blue trim. Cless thought it would look stunning on whoever was lucky enough to own it. Sable leaned in close and whispered, "To be completely honest, I don't want to sell this one." She winked at Cless, "I made it my size and just want to keep it."

Cless smiled at her and walked over to Mable. He leaned in and whispered something to her and she responded. Discreetly slipping her a coin purse he walked back over to Sable and picked up the dress. He slipped it into an Able Sisters bag and handed it to Sable. "For our date tomorrow," he said with a smirk.

Sable just looked at him with a kind of astonished look on her face. "What date tomorrow?" She asked looking over at Mable. Labelle had knocked off early that day.

Cless glanced back at Mable and she nodded encouragingly. "Well Mable said that she would work the store tomorrow with a little help from Labelle. I thought that we both could use a day off, so I want to take you out to the island for a day out and a picnic." He held out the bag for her to take, "And the dress is officially yours." He gave her a quick kiss and Mable smiled.

Sable threw her arms around Cless and squeezed him tight taking the air out of his lungs. "Oh thank you thank you thank you thank you!" She said. She ran over to Mable and hugged her too, quite hard and whispered, "Thank you my dear sister. This means so much to me; and if you ever need anything, just please let me know."

Mable just laughed, "Well when I manage to catch me a guy as good as yours, I'll be sure to have you watch the shop so I can go gallivanting off to a romantic island getaway." She held Sable out at arm's length and looked her over. "I have never seen you this happy before Sable," she said. "It warms my heart." She gave her a quick hug again, "Go on and get out of here," she said. "I will see you at home."

Sable walked over to Cless and took his hand. He waved to Mable, and they walked out of the shop. Out on Main Street a few villagers were finishing up some last minute shopping. The sun had set and darkness was taking over. Street lights were flickering on and off casting a shadowy light over the store fronts and the people walking around. Cless needed to get around to having those fixed before they went out completely. He just had too many things on his plate. Isabelle was doing him a favor tomorrow and overseeing the construction of the hot spring. She had all but insisted that he take off for the day when he let slip how long it had been since his first date with Sable. He still walked her home every day, but it would be good to have another proper date. Cless had sent Isabelle out shopping for him earlier in the day to get food for the picnic.

They turned off Main Street and headed in the direction of Sable's house. In the distance they could see the construction of the hot spring. It was coming along nicely and would probably be finished by the time the weather started to cool off. Cless had a feeling that a majority of the fall equinox festival would be taking place in it. He could just picture everyone enjoying a soak to warm up outside. More than that though, he could picture Sable and himself cuddled up alone in it on a cold dark snowy night.

They arrived at Sable's front door and she looked at him. Cless wrapped his arms around her and held her close, never wanting to let go. Things just felt so right with her. He knew that they had both dated in the past, but something felt different about this. It just felt right. It felt perfect. He kissed her passionately just savoring the sensation of being with her. When they broke apart, he looked at her and spoke. "Shall I pick you up at 9?"

Sable nuzzled into his shoulder and whispered. "That sounds wonderful." She planted a little kiss on his cheek, "I am so excited," she said. "I have not had a proper day off of work in ages." She kissed him one more time and squeezed tight. "Good night baby," She whispered. Opening her door, she walked in.

Cless made the walk back to his house daydreaming about tomorrow. It was not until he was unlocking his door that he realized that someone was leaning up against his house. It was Whitney. Cless wondered what she wanted this late. She looked at him and gave him a small smile. "Can we talk?" She asked.

Cless just looked at her and nodded. "Sure," he said. She sat down on the bench on his front porch, and Cless asked, "Can I get you something to drink?"

"That would be wonderful," she replied.

Cless walked inside and came back out a minute later carrying two glasses of water. He handed one to Whitney and sat down next to her. It was a few minutes before she started to talk. "I just wanted to say that I am sorry about the teasing and gossip that I was spreading around about you and Sable." She drank half of the water in a single gulp. "I honestly did not mean anything by it."

Cless took a sip of his water before he responded. "Oh Whitney. Thank you, but there was no reason to apologize."

Whitney smiled and finished her water. "I see how happy the two of you are, how Sable has a new bounce in her step, and how less stressed you have seemed these past couple of days. I guess I am just a little jealous." She looked out at the ocean, "I just wish that I still had that."

Cless was speechless. "Wow Whitney, I really don't know what to say."

She just laughed and handed Cless her empty glass. "Don't say anything, just be happy and keep making her happy." She stood up and stretched. "I should get going, I am meeting Mira and Keaton at Club LOL tonight.

Cless stood up and looked at Whitney. "You all have fun tonight, I should probably get to bed anyway. It was a long day." He waved to Whitney as she started walking off and went inside. Setting the two glasses in the sink, Cless opened his fridge and looked inside. Freshly picked fruit and veggies for the picnic tomorrow sat at the very front. A note was stuck to the front of a container from Isabelle. ' _Have fun tomorrow, and try not to even think about anything here. I have it all covered._ ' He smiled and walked upstairs to try to get some sleep.

The alarm went off at 7:30 in the morning and Cless jumped out of bed. He did not sleep much, but was wide awake all the same. He dashed off to the bathroom for a quick shower and dressed. He sprayed on a shot of his favorite cologne and it was out the door to make a quick trip to The Roost. They were busy this morning, so it took a lot longer for Cless to get the two coffees that he ordered than he anticipated. By the time he got to Sable's house and knocked on the door, it was 10 minutes to 9. He was almost late. Sable's voice came through the closed door. "Come on it, the door is open!"

Cless opened the door and walked in. The living room was pristine. He wondered if it was always like this, or if the sisters had a late night cleaning spree. Sable stuck her head out of the open bathroom door and smiled. "Just make yourself at home sweetie, I am almost done." Cless smiled and blew her a kiss.

He sat down on the sofa and put the two coffees down on the table. A few minutes later Sable walked out of the bathroom and walked in front of Cless. She did a little twirl in her new dress and said, "Well what do you think?"

She looked amazing. He stood up and wrapped her in a tight hug. "You are the most stunningly beautiful woman that I have ever laid eyes on."

Sable blushed a deep red. "Oh stop it," she said, but sounded pleased. He handed her a cup of the coffee and she took it, taking a small sip of the still piping hot liquid. "You know, you look pretty striking yourself sir," she said smiling. "I'm not going to have to fight off any of the other ladies around here for you am I?"

Cless just laughed and offered her his arm. "I don't think so sweetie. I'm all yours." He picked up his coffee, "Shall we be on our way?"

Sable took his arm and they walked out of the house. It was a short walk down to the beach and pier where Kapp'n stood waiting to ferry them to the island. Cless had sent the food ahead of time that morning, with instructions that it be laid out under one of the many tropical fruit trees. He wanted everything to be perfect today. The boat ride was a smooth one as Sable sat and leaned against Cless' chest and he wrapped his arms around him. Kapp'n passed the time by singing a few of his old sea shanties. They were not particularly romantic, but they enjoyed them all the same.

They arrived at the island at half past 10. Kapp'n coasted to the dock and the boat stopped with a gentle thump. Cless stepped off first and held his hand out to help Sable out. They walked through the little hut together and out into the small tropical paradise that was the little island owned by Tortimer. It was absolutely beautiful. Banana and coconut trees everywhere, a quaint little beach that led to the ocean where you could swim. It was a perfect day for this, not to hot, but still not a cloud in the sky. Sable was just looking around like there was no place that she would rather be right now. Cless felt exactly the same way.

He found the spot where the food had been laid out fairly quickly. It was under the largest palm tree on the island. It provided the perfect amount of shade. Sable looked down at the spread. It was wonderful, everything that you could want. Bunches of grapes and cherries, kiwi and peaches, sliced apples and oranges. And to top it all off, a bottle of the best wine that you could get on the island.

Cless sat down and Sable gently placed herself in his lap. He picked up a couple of grapes and placed one into her open mouth. She giggled and leaned back into his chest. It was such a wonderful feeling, and at that moment, Cless felt like the luckiest person in the world. He kissed her on top of her head, and she snuggled in closer. Sable picked up an apple slice and popped it into her mouth. Cless reached down and popped open the bottle of wine. He poured each of them a glass and handed one to Sable. She held her glass up to his and he said, "To a wonderful day and many more to come." The each took a sip, savoring the sweet taste of the grapes.

Sable sat down her glass and looked at Cless. "I am going to tell you a story," she said with a sad smile on her face. "It is my story, the one that you asked about at the coffee shop."

Cless nodded, and Sable continued on. "Mable, Labelle, and I lost are parents when Mable was very young." She took Cless by the hand, and went on, "Sable only has one memory of them, and that memory is from a photo that is hung up in the shop. Labelle and I being the older ones were left to raise Mable from the time she was very young." She took a sip of her wine and ate another grape. Cless was just listening, not saying anything. "It was not long before Labelle tired of this and left to try to make a life in the big city. I was left alone to raise my younger sister. It made me have to grow up and mature very quickly. I will not lie, I became very frustrated at times, because I had dreams of my own. But of course I could not follow them. I had to do right by Mable." Cless saw her wipe a single tear from her eye, and he grasped her hand gently. "I received letters from Labelle on occasions, she had made it in the city and was working for the world renowned fashion designer Gracie. All these letters did was make me even more upset. I felt that she had abandoned both Mable and me. The years passed and Mable grew to become a very responsible young woman. We never did leave Airithan, and opened our little shop right there on Main Street." She stopped for a minute to eat a few more apple slices, and Cless ate a few cherries. "We were never that well off, but we were making it. One morning as we were getting ready to open the shop, we were surprised to see Labelle walking up from the train station. She had told us that she had tried to start her own line of accessories, and had fallen on hard times in the city. Naturally we were very excited to be reunited with our other sister, and offered her a place in our shop. She hopes to make the Labelle brand a name to be known one day."

Cless did not know what to say. He reached up and wiped a tear from his eye and just held Sable as close to him as he could. He was utterly speechless. Sable held him as close as he held her. He heard her let out the quietest of sniffles before she pulled back and looked at him. She had a smile on her face and her eyes were dry. "It just made me who I am today," she said. "And it has a happy ending. I was so happy that Labelle rejoined our family." She leaned in and kissed him, "We should go for a swim," she said. "It is such a beautiful day." Sable decided to leave out the part about her past with Tom Nook. Not that it was anything to hide, but with him back in Airithan, and things going so well with Cless, she did not want to take a chance of messing it up.

"Swimming sounds like a wonderful idea," he said. Truth be told, Cless was not even thinking about swimming when he came out here. "I need to go and buy some swim trunks though; I did not bring mine."

Sable got up and said that she was going to the changing room, while Cless went into the little cabana and purchased a pair of green swim trunks. He walked into the men's changing room and came out a minute later holding his clothes and looking ready for a day in the ocean. Sable was waiting outside for him, neatly folding up her dress and setting it on the blanket under the tree. Cless was breathless. She looked stunning in her bikini. He had never seen anyone so beautiful; he had a hard time believing that she was his girlfriend. The just looked at each other for a moment before Sable ran off splashing into the water with Cless just a few steps behind her. The hours passed at what seemed to be lightning fast speed, and before he knew what happened the sun was starting to set.

They were laying on the beach cuddled up. Sable had fallen asleep with her head on Cless' chest. She looked so peaceful with her deep slow breathing, and the cute little smile on her face. It killed him to wake her up. This kind of day should never end. He would give anything just to stop time and be stuck in this moment forever, but sadly all good things must end to make time for even better moments, he thought. Cless gently nudged her shoulder and she mumbled something that he could not understand. Sable stirred and blinked her eyes sleepily. She looked up at Cless and smiled, "Can I just wake up to the sight of you every day?"

Cless leaned down and kissed her. "Nothing would make me happier," he said.

She got up and stretched, "I suppose that the day is over now." She sounded as sad about it as he felt. All Cless could do was to nod. He began gathering up everything that they brought and took Sable by the hand. They walked back through the little cabana, still in their swimwear and saw that Kapp'n was by the dock waiting on the. The boat ride ended too quickly for anyone's liking, and before long Cless was standing at Sable's front door once more.

Cless held her close and kissed her goodnight. "Thank you for such a wonderful time," he said.

Sable had an internal battle going within herself. She wanted to invite him inside, but she knew that Mabel and Labelle would be home soon. That and part of her thought that it was still too soon. She did not want to rush this and screw everything up. She just kissed him again and whispered, "No, thank you baby. This was one of the best days of my life." With one more little kiss she bid him goodnight and walked inside and collapsed on the couch. She would never forget this day as long as she lived.


	4. The Autumn Equinox

Chapter 4: The Autumn Equinox

Cless stood on near the cliff overlooking the beach and ocean. Isabelle on one side of him and Sable on the other clutching his hand tightly. He was proud to see that the entire town had turned out for this great celebration. Sable was wearing the same dress that she wore on their island date only a few short weeks ago. She had a jacket on over it as the temperature was a chilled 40 degrees.

"It is my great honor to announce on this day, the Autumn Equinox that I declare the Airithan hot spring officially OPEN!" He shouted amid thunderous applause from everyone in the town. "I could not have done it without every one of you!" More cheers followed this statement. "I also want to give special thanks to one special person indeed. Without whom the opening of this latest addition to the town would never have happened today." He looked over at Sable and saw that she was blushing bright red. "Without the lovely Sable here, we would not have been able to enjoy this beautiful hot spring on this chilly day! Now everyone please enjoy the festivities, enjoy the hot spring, and enjoy just being together!" The crowd erupted in cheers one final time as Cless stepped down from his small podium with Sable in tow and Isabelle behind them. Everyone was eager to shake his hand and thank him for being such a great mayor of the town.

Sable looked through the crowd and spotted her two sisters. She leaned into Cless, planted a kiss on his cheek and whispered. "I'll be back in a few minutes. I need to talk to my sisters about something."

Cless just nodded and watched as she walked away. The three Able sisters stood in a little circle whispering about something. Mable and Labelle were nodding excitedly. Whitney was already in the hot spring with Chief. Chief had moved to Airithan 2 weeks ago and Whitney wasted no time in claiming him. They were the talk of the town now, which was good for Cless, as no one was really focused on Sable and himself anymore.

People were starting to make their way over to the town square where a buffet of food and drink was laid out for everyone to enjoy. It was still early morning, and the party would last all day and late in to the night. Cless was hoping that by sometime late tonight, Sable and he would be able to have the hot tub to themselves. As though Sable had read his thoughts, she came walking back over and wrapped her arms around him. "You must be freezing," she said.

Cless nodded. He had not watched the weather last night, and therefor had not put on a jacket this morning. His thin polo shirt offered no protection from the cold or wind. He escaped the crowd with Sable and made his way back to his house with her for a jacket and maybe a cup of coffee. They normally went to The Roost every morning, but everything was closed today. Sable sat on the sofa while Cless ran upstairs for a basic black fleece wind breaker. He came back down and put on a pot of coffee before joining Sable on the sofa. She snuggled up to him, resting her head on his shoulder. A minute later he heard a knock on the front door. "Come on in," he said loud enough for whoever it was to hear.

The door swung open and Mable and Labelle walked in. They both looked a little red faced. The wind must be picking up. Labelle sat down on the love seat and Mable pulled up a chair. "It is getting crazy out there," Labelle said shaking her head. "Half of the people are splashing around the hot spring like it is a swimming pool, and Isabelle is leading the other half in an insane food fight. She nailed me with a tomato in the side of my head."

Sable seemed to find this very amusing, she was trying very hard to cover up her laughter and failing miserably at it. Labelle scowled at her. Mable shrugged and said, "Well I nailed her right back with one. You should see the state of her coat."

Sable was doubled over with laughter now, and Cless smiled at her. "Go Mable," he said. The coffee pot finished making and Cless stood up to go pour them each a cup. Mable jumped up and walked to the kitchen with him. She had a knowing grin on her face. He wondered if it had anything to do with the hushed conversation that she shared with her sisters earlier. Something was up, but he knew better than to even ask. Mable would never tell. They each carried two cups of coffee back to the living room, and Mable grabbed cream and sugar for Labelle. She was the only one of them who did not take their coffee black.

They made small talk while sipping their coffees and enjoying the warm house. The three sisters kept sharing glances with each other. When the coffee was  
finished, Cless took the mugs and deposited them in the dish washer. He would turn it on later. Slipping into his jacket, they decided to venture back outside to see if any of the food had survived. He was not hopeful. At the town square, he saw what he had feared. All the food was gone, either eaten or thrown at someone. "This is going to be one hell of a cleanup party later," Cless said shaking his head. Everyone in the town always pitched in to help with cleaning the cleaning. They were usually so exhausted after that, that they just all went home to unwind.

Mable pointed to a far off tree that had not been picked clean of fruit. "Food," she simply said. They made their way over to the apple tree, Sable clutching tight to Cless' hand.

The sisters sat down under the tree and Cless climbed up, picking a few crispy apples for each of them as he made his way up. Dropping down with an arm full of apples, he landed with a dull thud. He set the apples in a small pile and everyone dug in. Sable was sitting in Cless' lap leaning up against his chest. The day was passing by in a blur. The sun would be setting soon and it would be time for the cleanup and the fireworks display. Tom Nook supposedly had managed to get his hands on a tremendous amount of fireworks for tonight. For Cless it would be the best display since he had arrived in Airithan. He finally had someone special to watch with.

A loud bell tolled signaling the start of the fireworks display. The Able sisters and Cless decided to watch from just where they were sitting. Looking up into the sky, they say the first explosion. It was a brilliant red heart. Sable smiled and snuggled closer into Cless' chest. More explosions followed the first. It was a beautiful display. It didn't last long; only 30 minutes or so before the finale. One final firework that took everyone's breath away. The flag of Airithan exploded in the sky. Cless could very clearly see the green wave about to crash over an intricately designed letter A.

It was over. Cless and the Able sisters all stood up and looked towards the town square. The cleanup had already started, and was coming along well. It would take no time at all. They all rushed over to the square to join in. Sable held a giant bag while Cless started tossing things in it. Before long the square looked as good as new. Not one piece of trash to be seen.

Most everyone was heading home. Whitney and Chief were off for a moonlit walk on the beach. The important part though, was that the hot spring was empty, Cless noticed. He looked at Sable and motioned towards the spring. "Would you care for a soak with me?" He asked, trying and failing not to blush.

Mable and Labelle just smiled and walked towards their house. "See you later," Labelle called over her shoulder.

Sable took him by the hand and led them over towards the spring. Her heart was about to beat out of her chest. This is it, she thought. It was time. They arrived at the spring, and Cless grabbed a couple of towels. He stepped into the changing room and a moment later came out by the steps leading into the spring; a towel wrapped securely around his mid-section. Sable was waiting patiently for him, a towel wrapped around her body. The stepped in allowing their bodies adjust to the scalding hot water. Cless sat down first allowing the water to wash up over his chest. Sable joined him, snuggled up as close as she could get. He wrapped his arms around her.

They sat there in silence for what seemed to be hours, Sable showering Cless with quick kisses. He had never been more at peace than he was now. It was the happiest that he had ever been in his life. He knew now that he had to tell her. "Sable," he said, his heart racing as fast as it ever had. "There is something that I need to tell you baby."

Sable looked at him, and planted a light kiss on his lips. "And there is something that I need to tell you too baby."

He pulled her into his lab, "By all means, you first," he said smiling.

Sable blushed, this was it. She leaned into his chest, burying her face into his neck. "I…I lo…" She was having a hard time getting the words out. Sable had never said this to anyone before, that was not family. "I love you Cless," she whispered, her face turning bright red.

Cless rest his head on top of hers and sighed. He had nothing to worry about now. She felt the exact same. He whispered back to her, "And I love you too my beautiful Sable."

She looked up and smiled, "You do?"

"Of course I do baby." He kissed her over and over. "How could I not be in love with you? You are kind, sweet, compassionate, caring, loving." He took a breath and went on, "You are everything that I could ever want out of someone, and I never want us to be apart."

Sable let out a little whimper and buried her face in his neck. She was speechless. It was the nicest thing that anyone had ever said to her. And she felt the exact same. They would never be apart. They sat there for what felt like hours while the hot water turned their skin red. Finally Sable spoke again, "Can I stay with you tonight?" She asked still hiding her face.

Cless could not say anything, so he just nodded. Sable stood up and took Cless by the hand, pulling him up. She led him out of the spring, and over to his house. He opened the door and they walked in together. He led her up the stairs and to the master bedroom. Sable looked around for a moment before climbing into the bed and slipping under the blanket. She beckoned him over, and he crawled into bed with her. He pulled the blanket over himself and felt Sable roll over on top of him. She kissed him as she never had before. It was a feeling beyond explanation. A feeling of pure love and bliss. He knew that she was his future; that they would never be apart. "I love you," he whispered.

Sable smiled and said, "I love you too." She kissed him again, "And I want you, I want to be with you."

Cless rolled over on top of her and whispered. "Then we shall have each other, and we shall never be apart." He kissed along her neck, and heard Sable let out a soft moan. He never wanted this moment to end. Sable and himself, coming together as one.

They lay on their back, Sable snuggled up against him. Neither of them could say anything. It was the most amazing moment of either of their lives. Words did not matter now, nothing needed to be said. They would remember this for as long as they both lived. This feeling of pure bliss, of indescribable happiness. Nothing could ruin this moment, nothing ever would. Cless looked over at Sable and noticed the slow deep breaths coming from her. She had slipped off into a blissful sleep. He snuggled up closer and closed his eyes. This was the beginning of the rest of his life.


End file.
